Awkward
by Col3725
Summary: Booth can't sleep. He calls Brennan, but when she doesn't answer her phone, he starts to worry. He goes over to her apartment where the partners find themselves in an awkward situation involving a towel. *Set somewhere between 5x20 and 5x21* AU
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N: So I watched 'The Witch in the Wardrobe' yesterday and there's something Booth says during that episode that inspired this one-shot. I'm sure you guys can figure out exactly what that something is. I couldn't get it out of my head so I decided to write it down. Enjoy._**

* * *

Booth was lying on his back in bed, his arms bent behind his neck, propping his head up slightly. His eyes were closed, but he wasn't sleeping. He used to be kept awake by haunting nightmares of his past, but these days, he saw her. Teary ice blue eyes stared right into his soul as elegant hands pushed at his chest. The sting of rejection, by now, was a familiar feeling, but this time, it was painful enough to keep him awake at night.

He rolled onto his side and stared at his clock, green neon numbers reflecting just how late it was—12:47 AM. He was exhausted. Paperwork would do that to you. There hadn't been a case since the crazy ass witches—_Wiccans_. Her voice invaded his thoughts. He closed his eyes, trying to will it away, and let out a breath. When he blinked his eyes open away, only a minute had gone by, though it felt like more time had passed. He drifted his focus to his cell phone, which lay right beside the clock on the nightstand. It was late. She would be asleep, he reasoned, but he found himself reaching for it regardless.

He sat up, leaning back against the pillows while he clutched the phone in his hand. She would be asleep, he reasoned once again, but he dialed her number anyway, as if he had no control over what his thumb was doing. He counted the rings until her recorded voice pulled him back to reality. He hung up almost immediately and tossed his phone next to him on the mattress._ She was asleep, that was why she didn't answer_. It was nearly one o'clock in the morning. But suddenly his chest tightened, his breathing grew fast and forced, and he straightened up—_what if she wasn't asleep? What if she was in danger or hurt?_

He grabbed his phone and jumped out of bed. He quickly got dressed, trading his sweatpants for the pair of jeans he had changed into after work. His mind raced with possible explanations for her not picking up the phone, but he always came back to one—she was in danger. It wasn't that much of a leap. He grabbed his wallet, keys, and rushed out of his apartment, not stopping for anything.

* * *

Booth made it to her apartment in record time. He stopped at her door and leaned forward with hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. He stood up straight and noticed that her door was shut, so there was no alarming sign that she was in danger, but in his line of work, he knew that meant diddlysquat. He knocked—once, twice, three times.

He started to panic even more. He had tried to calm himself down on the drive over here with no success. He kept telling himself that she was just asleep, but then he remembered her saying that her phone was always on her nightstand, right next to her. She would have heard it, even if she was sleeping. That left two options: she was ignoring him on purpose or she was in some sort of trouble. He quickly dismissed the first option for the fifth time that night. If anyone was going to be ignoring anyone, it'd be him ignoring her. She rejected him, after all, but he was trying his best to pretend that the conversation they had and the kiss they shared outside the Hoover never happened.

Still getting no answer, he unlocked her door with his emergency key and walked inside her apartment. It was dark, save for a dim lamp, and it was hauntingly quiet. Everything was immaculate, just as it always was. There were some magazines on the coffee table that were haphazardly arranged, but other than that, nothing was out of place. "Bones?" He called out to her, making his way through the apartment, panic still rising in him. "You here?" He looked around, there seemed to be no signs of life, but then again, it was after one. "Bones," he called again, his voice louder, shakier. With his mind on overdrive and his nerves taking control of any rational thought, he pushed open her bedroom door, which was already slightly ajar. He poked his head into the room and looked at her bed. It was empty, but there was evidence that she had been lying there at some point tonight.

Her phone was right where he thought it would be—on her nightstand, right by her head had she been sleeping. His eyes drifted to the floor and zeroed in on the broken glass on the floor. And was that—? _Blood_. It was blood. "Bones." He whirled around, his rapid heartbeat making it difficult for him to think straight. "Bones? Oh God, please, no."

Since he was running every worst case scenario through his head, he didn't notice the bathroom door opening. Light poured into the room and steam filtered out, but again, he hadn't noticed. He was pacing back and forth now, his head bowed, his hand clutching his phone. "Bones," he whispered over and over again.

"Booth?"

He jumped and turned around. His eyes widened when he saw her. "Bones."

Brennan adjusted the white plush towel that was wrapped around her body and stared at him, confused. "What are you doing in my bedroom?"

He blinked, his eyes taking her in. He licked his bottom lip and tugged on his jacket. "I called. You didn't answer."

She crossed her arms over her chest and nodded, though that still didn't explain what he was doing in her apartment, standing in her bedroom, looking like all the blood had been drained from his veins. "I was in the shower."

"I—I see that." He shifted. "I should, uh, I should go." He turned around and started walking towards the hallway.

"Wait."

He stopped and faced her again, waiting for her to speak again.

"You never answered my question. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, um, when you didn't answer, I panicked. I know it's late. I'm sorry."

"I didn't mean to worry you. I couldn't sleep, so I thought a hot shower might help me relax. My phone was out here," she explained, motioning with her hand towards her nightstand.

"Yeah, I got that. Sorry." He paused, looking at the broken glass on the floor. "Did you cut yourself?"

She followed his eyes and nodded. "I knocked over my glass of water when I got out of bed. I cut my hand on a shard of glass as I was cleaning up the mess. I'm fine. It was just a flesh wound," she said, touching the bandage on her palm.

"I don't know why I came all the way over here. I just, you didn't answer."

She started walking towards him, momentarily forgetting that she was only wearing a towel. With her arms no longer holding it up, it loosened and slipped, falling to her ankles before she could react and catch it.

He blinked, unable to keep himself from taking a peek. His partner stood before him, in all her naked glory, damp, soft waves framing her face.

She scrambled to secure the towel back around her, but it was too late. He had already looked; he had already seen her, all of her—her creamy skin that glowed in the yellow light flowing from the bathroom, her full breasts, her flat stomach, and the feminine curve of her hips. He closed his eyes and took a few steps back, running right into the doorjamb.

She just stared at him, pink rising to her cheeks, keeping a firm grip on the towel. "Booth."

He opened his eyes and found her staring at him, biting her lip oh so adorably and almost seductively, but that could be his mind playing tricks on him.

She was waiting for him to say something, anything to make this situation less awkward.

"Um, uh, wow, you—I have to go. I'll, uh, I'll see you tomorrow." Well, so much for making things less awkward.

She nodded. "This never happened, correct?"

_Oh, it happened. It definitely happened. _"Yeah, this didn't happen. Night, Bones." He stumbled out of the room and left her apartment in a hurry.

* * *

**_Hope you liked it._**

**_I might do a follow-up to this chapter if you guys want it. _**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Thanks for the reviews. Glad you guys like it. There will be one more chapter after this._**

* * *

Brennan was sitting on the couch in Sweets' office, hugging one armrest, while Booth sat as far away from her as he could, hugging the opposite armrest.

Sweets looked up from his notepad and looked between his two patients. "Is there something going on between you two?"

Brennan gave Booth a sideways glance and then looked back at the young psychologist. "No."

"Hmmm." Sweets scribbled something down. "So have you two noticed any changes in your partnership since—?"

"She rejected me," Booth grumbles under his breath.

"What was that, Agent Booth?"

"None of your business and the answer is no. Bones and me, we're good."

"If you're good, why can't you look at Dr. Brennan?"

Booth turned his head and looked at Brennan, forcing half a smile. "There. I looked at her. Happy now, _Dr. _Sweets?" Suddenly, his phone rang. He flipped it open and answered the call quickly.

"No cell pho—."

"Yeah, we'll be right there." Booth hung up and got off the couch. "C'mon, Bones. We've got a case."

"We're not done here."

Booth shakes his phone at Sweets. "We've got a case, pal. We're done."

Brennan stood up and grabbed her coat, following her partner out of the office.

Sweets shifted in his chair and finished up with his notes. Something was going on with them and he was determined to get to the bottom of it.

* * *

Brennan was standing on the Forensic platform examining their latest victim. She lifted her head and noticed that Booth was standing near the stairs, tapping his pen against the edge of his index cards, and staring at the victim's skull. "I don't have any answers beyond the fact that he's a male, age twenty to thirty five, and he has a remolded ulna break that appears to be several years old."

"Well, you better keep looking until you find me something I can work with."

"No need to be so rude," she said, looking at the body.

Cam, who was standing on the other side of the exam table, looked back and forth between the two partners. "Is something going on between you two?"

Booth shook his head. "Nope," he said, stressing the 'p'.

"He had sex shortly before he died, Dr. Brennan. There's evidence of seminal fluid."

"That's my cue to leave." Booth turned around and stumbled down the stairs.

The women shrug their shoulders and go back to their examinations.

* * *

Booth was sitting at his desk, waiting for Brennan or someone from the lab to inform him that they had an I.D. for him. He looked up when he heard a light knock on the doorjamb, but quickly looked away.

"Is this a bad time?" Brennan walked into his office without waiting for a reply. She set the folder down in front of him and sat down in the chair. "Victim's name is Peter Lions, age 27."

"Yeah, thanks," Booth whispered, not turning his head to look at her.

"Booth, about last night—."

"It never happened, remember?"

She nodded. "Why won't you look at me?"

Booth lifted his head and met her eyes. They bore into his soul, the same way they did last night and the night outside the Hoover.

"I think the correct phrase here is 'we're even'."

He raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"I saw you naked and now you've seen me naked. I think people would classify that as being even."

"We're not talking about this…_here. _No, actually, we're not talking about this _anywhere. _We're not talking about this, period. It never happened. Okay? That's what you said." He paused. "Is that all you came here for?" He asked, motioning to the folder.

"You have been acting very strangely this morning."

"Yeah, well, I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Perhaps you should take a nap. You're very cranky." She stood up and walked towards the door. "I'll call if I find any other useful information that may aid in the investigation."

He nodded. "Yep," he said, again stressing the 'p'.

She looked at him one last time, sighed, and then left his office, heading towards the elevator.

* * *

Brennan was tucked away in her office, going through her case notes, when there was a knock at her door. She turned her head, hoping it was Booth, here to whisk her away for lunch, but it was Angela. "Oh, hello, Angela."

"Nice to see you too, Sweetie."

Brennan set her pen down and leaned back against the couch cushions. "Sorry. I was expecting Booth."

"Did something happen between you two?"

"Why does everyone assume something is going on between us?"

Angela walked into her best friend's office. "I just haven't seen much of him today."

"I—I think Booth's avoiding me."

"Why?"

"He, um, he saw me naked last night."

Angela's eyes bugged out of her head and she tried to hold back a smile. "What?"

"He came by my place and I was in the shower. He apparently tried to call me, but when I didn't answer, he panicked and rushed over to check on me."

Angela took a seat beside her best friend on the couch and twisted her body towards her. "Awww, that's sweet, he cares about you, Hon, but go on. What happened next?"

"I came out of the bathroom and he was in my bedroom, pacing. We started talking and then my towel slipped."

"And what happened next?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing? He was in your bedroom, you were naked, and nothing happened?"

"He just left. Ran, actually. If was like he couldn't get out of there fast enough."

"Nothing? Really, Sweetie? Nothing happened?"

"Angela!"

Angela shrugged.

Brennan sighed. "I told him to pretend it never happened. He can be such a prude sometimes. It's not that big of a deal. I mean, we all are born into this world naked, are we not?" She paused. "I have seen him naked, and sure, it was a little uncomfortable for a couple days, but we were still able to do our jobs. This is affecting our work, Ange. He won't look at me, he didn't say a word to me when I gave him the I.D. earlier, and he hasn't been to the lab since we brought the body in."

"You saw Booth _completely_ naked? Does he look good naked?"

"Angela!"

"He's avoiding you because he can't stop picturing you naked, Sweetie."

Brennan shook her head. "That, no."

Angela nodded. "You're hot. He won't look at you because when he does, he sees you without any clothes on."

"You're wrong, Angela."

"You know I'm right, Sweetie. I know a thing or two about men, and Booth isn't a hard nut to crack."

"I don't know what that means."

"I'll talk to him for you."

"No!" Brennan let out a breath. "Help me fix this, Angela. What can I do?"

"Make out with him, sleep with him," Angela said under her breath. She turned her head when she heard a knock. "Hello, Booth."

"We finally tracked down the victim's brother. We're bringing him in for questioning."

Brennan nodded. "I'll go with you." She stood up and went over to grab her jacket.

"Uh, no. I got this one, Bones. I was just letting you know."

"Why can't I go with you? We always interrogate suspects together."

"I—I, no. I've got this." He walked out of her office in hurry, not looking at her or Angela, knowing exactly what their conversation was about.

"See what I mean, Angela?"

"He needs to focus in there, Sweetie, and he can't do that when you're sitting there, all beautiful and hot. He'll be undressing you in his mind the entire time."

"It was not that big of a deal. He left and I went to sleep."

"He _ran_ out of your apartment."

"You don't have to remind me. He is clearly not attracted to me, so your assumption that he is picturing me without any clothes on is incorrect."

"Ah. You're upset that he ran away when he saw you naked."

Brennan shook her head with a chuckle. "No, that's preposterous. I am _not_ upset."

Angela nodded. "Oh, yeah, you're totally upset!"

Brennan rolled her eyes. "I'm going to go examine the bones, see if I can't find something I missed earlier." She left and headed down the hallway.

Angela stood up and bit back a smile. "She is totally upset," she mumbled as she walked to her office.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Here's the last chapter. Thanks for reading/reviewing. You guys rock. Enjoy :)_**

* * *

It was well into the afternoon and Brennan was standing in the bone room, methodically cataloging the nicks on the bones. She ran her finger along the right femur and took a closer look under the magnifier.

Booth walked past the room and stopped short. He turned his head and watched her silently. He swallowed and closed his eyes for a second. That didn't help. He blinked his eyes open, took one last longing look at his partner, and quickly kept walking in the direction he was headed in. He wasn't paying attention since his thoughts were hijacked by a certain sexy scientist, so he ran right into someone. He stumbled backwards. "Sor—sorry." He lifted his head and saw Angela standing there, smirking at him.

"Hey there, Stud."

"I know she told you about, um, about that _thing _that happened yesterday."

Angela nodded. "She told me only because she thinks you're avoiding her."

"I, uh, I kinda am."

"And why is that?" Angela laughs.

Pink rose to Booth's cheeks and he looked away from Angela. "I have to go." He started to walk away, but he felt her grab his arm and tug him back.

"You need to talk to her."

He shook his head. "Angela, I can't." He yanked his arm back from her and took off down the hallway, heading for the exit. He held up his hand when he saw Cam approaching him. "Not now, Camille." He left the Jeffersonian, hopped into his SUV, and headed back over to the Hoover.

Cam found Angela standing in the hallway and walked over to her. "He has been acting weird all day. Dr. Brennan, too. Do you know what's going on?"

Angela bites back a smirk. "Oh yeah."

"Well?"

"I shouldn't."

"That's never stopped you before," Cam pointed out.

Angela walked into her office and shut the door when Cam followed her. She stepped closer to the other woman and whispered her secret.

Cam let out an audible gasp and took a step back. "That explains everything."

Angela nodded.

Brennan knocks on Angela's office door and then walks in. "Angela, I need you to run some possible scenarios for me." She turns her head and finally notices Cam standing there. "Oh, hello, Dr. Saroyan."

"Hey, Dr. Brennan."

Brennan looked at Angela and groaned. "You told her, didn't you?"

"It's not a big deal, isn't that what you said?"

"It isn't a big deal, but that does not mean I want people knowing my business, especially not my _boss_," Brennan whispered through gritted teeth.

Angela smiled. "Booth was here."

Brennan blinked. "Where? When?"

"He just left. He seemed to be in a hurry."

"Why wouldn't he at least say hello?"

"Do I have to tell you again, Sweetie?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Ange."

"I'm not. I'm stating a fact."

"It's not a fact. It's speculation." Brennan paused. "Now, can we please get back to work?"

"Sure thing, Sweetie." Angela took Brennan's notes and went over to her computer.

Brennan sighed, nibbling on the inside of her cheek.

Angela looked over at her, a faint smile gracing her lips. _Both of them are in complete denial, _she thought, turning back to the computer screen.

* * *

Booth was sitting at his desk, leaning forward, propped up on his forearms. He lifted his hand and hit his bobble head a couple times before dropping his head and smashing his forehead lightly against the top of his desk. He ignored the knock on his door and groaned in response to the intruder.

"Agent Booth?"

"Sweets, go away."

"Is this about Dr. Brennan?"

Booth lifted his head and rolled his eyes. "_This_? There is no this? I'm fine. Bones and I are good."

Sweets shut the door and leaned back against it.

Booth groaned louder and leaned back in his office chair. "What?" He spat out.

"You're avoiding Dr. Brennan."

"So what?"

"So you don't deny it?"

_You walked right into that one. _"I'm not avoiding Bones, I'm just busy. Busy, that's all."

"Busy, huh?"

"Yeah, Sweets. I'm busy."

"So this has nothing to do with your gamble outside the Hoover a few weeks ago?"

"No."

"So there is a _this_."

"What do you want, Sweets?"

Sweets took a seat and smiled at the Agent. "I want you to tell me what's going on between you and Dr. Brennan."

"Well, that's not gonna happen."

"So there is something going on."

"Stop! Stop doing that." Booth stood up and walked out of his office, fed up with the shrink.

"Agent Booth!" Sweet got up and followed Booth to the elevator. He threw out his arm and stopped the door from closing. "I suggest you talk about this soon, Agent Booth, before this ruins your partnership with Dr. Brennan permanently." He pulled his arm back and watched the older man's face fall as the door slid shut.

* * *

Brennan was in her office with the door shut. It was nearly 8:30 PM and she was alone at the lab, save for a few security guards. She was sitting on the couch, looking through her notes, making sure she didn't miss anything. She was interrupted by a knock on her door. She turned her head and stood up slowly. She stared at her guest for a minute before making her way over to the door. She unlocked it and opened it. "Booth." She couldn't hide the smile that formed on her face. "What are you doing here?"

Booth stood there, awkwardly holding a box of Chinese food. He blinked slowly, keeping his eyes shut for a little over half a minute. He opened them again. She was still standing there, staring at him, her ice blue eyes once again boring deep into his soul. _Damn her. _"I—Do you not want me here?"

She shook her head. "No, that's not it. You presence here has been rather scarce today, so I'm just surprised to see you, especially at this hour."

"Hungry?"

She nodded. "Yes. I haven't eaten since breakfast."

"Bones!"

She shrugged and stepped to the side to allow him to walk into her office. "Booth, I think—we need to talk. I know what I said. I know I said that what happened last night never happened, but it did happen and it's affecting our work."

He nodded subconsciously, letting his eyes wander from hers. He stopped, focusing on her full, supple lips for a couple seconds before continuing down.

She titled her head and raised an eyebrow. "Booth?"

He shook his head, meeting her gaze again. "Huh, Bones?"

"Did you hear me?"

"Yeah—no, no, what did you say?"

She grunted as she sat down on the couch. "I said that we need to talk about what happened last night. I know I said that what happened last night never happened, but it _did_ happen and it's affecting our work."

He sat down on her couch, leaving some space between them for the Holy Spirit, and reached for a pair of chopsticks.

"You can sit closer to me, you know? I don't bite, at least not in nonsexual situations."

His head snapped to the side and he swallowed, focusing on the tip of her nose. It was safer than staring right into her eyes.

She laughed. "That was a joke, Booth. I was being amusing."

He sighed. She was doing this on purpose. He was sure of it.

"Are you okay?"

He nodded and shifted uncomfortably on the couch, stuffing a piece of chicken into his mouth, avoiding eye contact.

"You're sweating and shaking a little. Are you sure you're okay?" She reached over and pressed the back of her palm against his forehead.

He threw his chopsticks down and jumped up. "Stop. Just stop." He walked to her door and pulled it open with force. "I—I ha—I have to go."

She turned around and stared at him. "Booth?"

He stopped, his hand gripping the door handle tight, his knuckles turning white.

She stood up and walked over to him. She stood in front of him and reached out once again, touching his arm and tugging on it.

He turned around slowly and closed his eyes. "Bones." His voice rattled and he opened his eyes again. He noticed she was closer to him now. His focus fell to her lips as she took another set forward and said something he didn't catch. He backed up, nearly stumbling onto his ass. "Bones."

"Angela said you couldn't look at me because you couldn't get the image of me naked out of your head. Is there any truth in that?"

He licked his bottom lip and cleared his throat, swallowing hard, forcing himself once again to look into her eyes. "Yeah." He let out a breath, watching as she registered his answered.

She tweaked an eyebrow. "I suppose enjoy isn't the correct word, but did you, did you enjoy seeing me naked?"

"Bones, I—."

"I enjoyed seeing _you_ naked," she confessed and slowly traced the lines of his muscles through his T-shirt with her index finger.

He closed his eyes tight.

"It was quite enjoyable, actually." She slid her hand upwards, flicking her eyes up to his.

"Look, Bones, we can't, you're not—."

"Do you not find me attractive?"

"No!"

"No, you don't?"

"Yeah, no, no, you're very attractive, Bones. You're beautiful."

Her hand ceased its upward movement and she looked at him, furrowing her brows.

He cursed himself internally and took another step back. "Three weeks ago you told me you couldn't change, Bones. You didn't want to take a chance on us. I can't ignore that. I—let's just forget this happened." _Good luck with that one, bub. _

She took a step forward, then another, until she was practically flush against him. The corners of her lips curved into a devilish smirk and she pressed her palm against his chest. She dropped her arm and stepped away from him. "If that's what you want."

"It's not what I want, Bones! It's the complete opposite of what I want!"

She blinked. "Oh." She stepped back and looked at the Chinese food on her coffee table. "Our dinner is getting cold."

"That's why microwaves were invented."

She smiled with her lips closed and took a step forward again. She touched his chest, brushing her thumb against the smooth cotton of his shirt.

He titled her chin up with his thumb, finally looking right into her eyes. He dropped his arms and encircled her waist, pulling her even closer to him. Their lips drew closer and closer together until they touched.

She resisted at first but relaxed in his arms. She snaked her hand around his neck, one hand gripping his shoulder, and her lips parted.

He took that opportunity to deepen the kiss, clutching her dress in his fists. A deep-throated groan escaped as their lips glided together in harmony. He suddenly broke the kiss and pulled back.

She touched her swollen lips with her fingertips and looked at him, confused and slightly hurt.

"Bones, if you—I can't do this if you're not in this."

She closed the gap between them, hooked her arm around his neck and pushed his face down to hers. Their lips met in a chaste kiss before she took it upon herself to intensify it.

"Bones?" He mumbled against her lips. He wanted to accept this as her answer, but he needed her to say it. He needed to hear the words.

"I'm in this," she mumbled.

"Are you sure?"

"Booth?"

He nodded, holding her against him. "Hmmm?"

"Shut up and kiss me," she demanded, huskily, her voice caught in his mouth.

He closed his eyes and pulled the door shut. He turned her around in one swift movement and pushed her up against the glass door. He just smirked at her verbal 'oh' as her back crashed into the door and then reestablished contact.

* * *

**_The End._**


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